Home Office

Disclosure and Barring Service: Review of Data Retention Policy

Lord Bates: My hon Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Karen Bradley) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:PricewaterhouseCoopers’ report on the second and final phase of its review of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) will be published today and will be available on www.gov.uk. The review examined DBS’ Data Retention Policy, its application within the organisation and the teams responsible for its implementation. Its findings do not raise any safeguarding risks to children or vulnerable adults. The DBS is addressing the four recommendations proposed. They have also set out their plans within the report. A copy of the report will be placed in the House Library.


This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
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Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces Pay Reform

Earl Howe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Michael Fallon) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. I am today announcing the introduction of a new pay model for Armed Forces personnel which will provide a modern, simple and credible remuneration offer for our Armed Forces that attracts and retains motivated people to deliver our operational commitments. The current pay system, introduced in 2001, was the first integrated ‘tri-Service’ pay system. Whilst a major advance at the time, it is now seen as overly-complex with significant shortcomings and inefficiencies, which have led to dissatisfaction amongst Service Personnel. We therefore plan to reform core pay from 1 April 2016 for all Armed Forces Regulars and Reservists up to the rank of Commodore, Brigadier and Air Commodore, except specialists such as professional Aviators and Special Forces on bespoke pay scales. The new pay model will be both simplified and fairer. In introducing a new pay system it is important that we recognise and value the contribution of Service personnel who work so hard to keep us safe both at home and abroad. This is not a cost-saving exercise, and there will be pay protection to ensure that no Service personnel take a pay cut on transition to the new model. Pay reform is integral to work to modernise the overall offer to Service personnel and will sit alongside initiatives such as Forces Help to Buy, the Tenancy Deposit Loan Scheme, the introduction of Flexible Working options, and of employment support to Service spouses. Rank will continue to be the main determinant of pay and incremental progression will remain a key feature of the new system, though it will be rationalised for both officers and Other Ranks (up to Warrant Officer Level). For Other Ranks where we require a breadth of trades there will also be four pay supplements which will better differentiate pay across the trades, removing the illogical characteristics of the current system. It will very substantially reduce the number of pay journeys from potentially 128 different journeys to just four, with an associated reduction in administrative overheads. Crucially for Service personnel this will provide a pay system that will be easier to understand and allow individuals to more accurately predict their future pay.

Future Reserves 2020 External Scrutiny Team Report

Earl Howe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Michael Fallon) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of a letter that I have sent to Lt Gen (Retd) Brims, the Chair of the Future Reserves 2020 External Scrutiny Team, to update him on the programme, and particularly on the recommendations that his team’s report made. I am grateful for their work.